Designer Danielle Domichel Hickman transforms a stark Deer Valley condo into a modern, lodge style home retreat. Photos by Rebekah Westover.
“It needed more,” says designer Danielle Domichel Hickman, describing a Stein Eriksen Residence she recently remodeled in Deer Valley. ”More design, more details, more character and more excitement.” Her clients—a family living in Los Angeles—wanted a ski home that feels like a mountain retreat. Hickman responded with a plan to blend the existing contemporary style of the two-level condo with a mountain lodge look.
Beginning with a dwelling “that was bare with a really good floor plan,” Hickman reimagined the entire home—elevating the decor, providing savvy storage space and making the most of natural light emanating primarily from north-facing windows. “The views are amazing; you feel like you are in the clouds,” Hickman says. Working within the confines of the 3,300 square-foot residence and teaming with contractor Gordon Daw of Deer Valley Construction, Hickman attended to each space, redefining some rooms like a bedroom converted into an office and a bunk room transformed into a gracious guest suite. Other spaces she retained but masterfully renewed. Across the board, she introduced new built-ins, engaging materials, and a mix of curated decorative elements to achieve the desired look and feel of a modern mountain lodge. “We added layers to make the spaces feel warm, inviting and collected,” Hickman explains.
For the great room, Hickman chose large, low-profile seating pieces that don’t obstruct the views. She upholstered them in soft, light-toned fabrics and arranged them to allow easy access and movement around the expansive windows. A large “Above the Clouds” photo by Jin Woo Prensena accentuates the condo’s sky-high elevation while new wood beams, an antler chandelier and Sandra Jordan alpaca plaid wool pillows help foster the great room’s place in the modern lodge style home.
A custom console and mirror by Old World Antique Reproductions anchors an entry that doubles as a stylish drop zone where an upholstered bench provides the owners a place to sit while removing their ski boots. Nearby wall hooks accommodate coats and winter gear.
With its silk-and-wool rug, rope-wrapped chandelier, striped Misia fabric and wide-plank dining table, the dining area uses texture to help drive its relaxed, timeless style. Hickman hung a horizontal mirror that reflects light to brighten the space located between the open kitchen and living room areas.
The owners wanted a green kitchen, so Hickman chose Benjamin Moore’s Chimichurri paint for the kitchen’s custom cabinets. She cleverly repeated it in the great room, office and mudroom to advance the interior’s cohesive design. A reclaimed-wood backsplash and brass hardware from Rocky Mountain Hardware add to the room’s distinctive character.
Floor-to-ceiling reclaimed-wood paneling clads a great room wall and the adjoining stairwell. Framed dog art pieces by Jin Woo Prensena are two of many animal-themed elements Hickman displayed in the lodge style home. “The feeling of being immersed in nature
adds life to the spaces,” she says.
Open shelves and built-in, audio/visual cabinets detailed with vented doors flank the great room’s stone-sheathed fireplace. The designer repeated wood wall planking, deep green paint and brass accents to foster a sense of decorative continuity here and throughout the home.
The owners wanted to feel like they were sleeping above the clouds, so Hickman created the primary suite’s cream wool-paneled headboard and framed it with white built-ins. A white alpaca rug anchors the luxuriously dressed bed and mohair upholstered bench. “It’s so dreamy,” she says. A brass chandelier and sconces add warmth and lighting, while a built-in desk boasts a leather inset that matches its chair.
All things “light and bright” inspired the primary bathroom’s airy decor, so Hickman chose polished nickel finishes, freshly painted cabinets and custom mirrors flanked by Waterworks sconces to deliver a spa-like style.
“We wanted the office to have the most lodge-like feel,” says Hickman, describing an old bedroom space she converted. To accomplish this, she introduced suede Philip Jeffries wallcovering, deep green built-ins, mixed pillows, plaid Stark carpeting and a mix of velvet, hair-on-hide and leather upholstered pieces. The sofa opens to be a queen-sized bed.
Get the Lodge-Style Home Look
Products, clockwise from top left: Avalon Throw Blanket by Hermés, $1,800, Hermes.com; Figuerolles Rate striped fabric by Misia, to the trade, John Brooks, johnbrooksinc.com; Prima Alpaca plaid by Sandra Jordan to the trade, sandrajordan.com; Bowline Rope Chandelier by Currey & Company, to the trade, Curate to the Trade, curatetothetrade.com;
Get more mountain home inspiration here.